Ruth gave me a once–over, her chin tilted so high it felt like she was looking down at me through her nose. The disdain on her face was unmistakable,
Moments later, she leaned in close to Nicolas, as if I were deaf and couldn’t hear her from across the coffee table.
“Why are you rushing into a relationship now? Focus on your career first. When you’re successful, there’ll be plenty of better girls to choose from.”
+25 BONUS
Chapter 5
I smiled.
Nicolas was all about keeping up appearances, and I was pretty sure no one here knew that his “startup capital” came out of my pocket.
“Go wash the dishes,” Nicolas‘ mother suddenly snapped.
Apparently, she’d given up on the idea of squeezing that seventeen–thousand–dollar gift out of me and returned to her original cold indifference, barking out orders like I was a servant.
But I wasn’t about to roll over that easily. I put on my best innocent expression and turned to Nicolas.
Before he could say a word, Ruth jumped in, clearly unable to hold herself back.
“My, my, girls these days are really something else,” she huffed.
“Can’t even wash a dish! What’s the point of marrying someone like that? Nicolas is going to be a big boss one day. How’s he supposed to manage without a good wife to support him?”
Her voice grew louder with each sentence, full of righteous energy as the other relatives chimed in with nods and murmurs of agreement.
I gave them a graceful smile.
“You must be mistaken, ma’am.”
I met her gaze calmly and said, “Nicolas, did you forget to tell your family that the hundred thousand dollars you used to start your business was a loan from me?”
I emphasized the word loan with deliberate weight.
Back then, I hadn’t bothered holding him accountable because of our relationship. But now, things were different.
As soon as I said it, the room fell into a stunned silence.
“Nicolas, what does she mean by that?”
The same relatives who had been flattering Nicolas moments ago now turned toward him with furrowed brows and skeptical expressions.
Nicolas clearly hadn’t expected this. He’d always seen me as someone who wouldn’t challenge him, let alone embarrass him in front of his entire family.
“Claire, what nonsense are you talking about?”
As he spoke, he grabbed my arm and tried to pull me into the bedroom, desperate to get me out of the living room.
